Toy fire house



L. MARX TOY FIR'E HOUSE Aug. 11, 1936.

Filed March 27, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR 44 46 Lows Marx ATTORNEYS2 Sheets-Sheet 2 L. MARX TOY FIRE HOUSE Filed March 27, 1935 R x m w W MN R 2 & E Q WM 0 IL 1% I- 2-- -I-- illvrllglll m s 7 m n m J I A w u n 8h n :u n 2 8 u L Y 4 2 B u u n 5 o "J M 5/ w ul w wrununf A r n Hulull".

Patented Aug. 11, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TOY FIRE HOUSE LouisMarx, New York, N. Y. Application March 27, 1935, Serial No. 13,231 26Claims. (Cl. 46-175) This invention relates to toys, more particularlytoys simulating a building and vehicle housed therein and adapted to runtherefrom, and as here illustrated especially simulates a toy fire housewith toy fire fighting vehicles.

Toy fire houses have been made containing a toy fire fighting vehicleand means adapted to release or cause movement of the vehicle from thefire house. The primary object of my invention is to generally improvethis class of toy.

A more particular object of my invention resides in the combination withthe fire house of a siren and appropriate mechanism to cause actuationof the siren upon release or movement of the vehicle from the firehouse. Another object of my invention is to make possible the use ofmotorless vehicle toys, thereby minimizing the cost of the complete toy.Still anotherobject of my invention is to make the actuator meansinconspicuous, which I do by causing the same to simulate a natural partof the fire house, in the present case the chimney thereof.

Further objects of my invention center about the combination with thefire house of a plurality of toy vehicles, and are to provide means forcausing successive rather than simultaneous movement of the vehiclesfrom the fire house; to obtain this result while using only a singleactuator means; to obtain this result by repeated movement of saidactuator means, each movement serving to cause only one of the vehiclesto leave the fire house; and, finally, to combine said actuator withappropriate signal means, specifically a siren, so that each movement ofthe actuator drives the siren.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and other objects which willhereinafter appear, my invention consists in the toy elements and theirrelation one to the other as are hereinafter more particularly describedin the specification and sought to be defined in the claims. Thespecification is accompanied by drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view showing a toy embodying features of myinvention;

Fig. 2 is a section taken in elevation through the fire house in theplane of the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section taken in the plane of the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a similar view after discharge of one of the vehicles; and

Fig. 5 is a section taken in the plane of the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings and more particularly to Fig. 1, the toycomprises a simulated building B, one or more toy vehicles V, a signaldevice S, and an actuator A. The vehicle is normally housed within thebuilding, and upon movement of the actuator A the signal S is operatedand the vehicle is caused to leave the build- 5 ing. In the specificform here illustrated the building simulates a fire house, and thevehicle simulates fire fighting apparatus. The signal is a siren, andthe actuator is a representation of the chimney of the building. Whenthe toy is constructed to house several vehicles as in the present case,the actuator is arranged to operate the vehicles successively ratherthan simultaneously while employing only a single actuator andpreferably while using the full stroke of the acl6 tuator for theoperation of one vehicle, this being desirable in order to obtain aprolonged wail of the siren and in order to place the delay between theemergence of the first and second vehicle under the control of the childusing the toy.

Considering the arrangement in greater detail, the building B is formedof sheet metal and comprises a bottom wall l2, side walls l4, back andfront walls It and I8, and a roof 20. The bottom wall I2 is preferablyflanged at 22 in order to elevate the same somewhat above floor leveland to provide room beneath wall I2 for operating mechanism subsequentlydescribed. At the front of the building the flange is, of course, slopedto form an approach 24.

I prefer to employ motorless toy vehicles .which are ejected forciblyfrom the building by appropriate ejector means located within thebuilding. It is therefore not essential to use doors on the building,but their use is preferable to improve the appearance of the toy andwhen used the doors are simply freely pivoted and adapted to be readilyopened by the vehicle during its movement from the building. In thepresent case the front wall l8 extends over only the upper part of thebuilding, the lower part being closed by two sets of doors 26, one setbeing located in front of each of the vehicles. The doors are made 'ofthin sheet metal, are relatively light, are freely pivoted on thebuilding at the vertical edges 28, and may, if desired, be so balancedas to normally swing to closed position although this refinement is notessential.

The motorless vehicle is set into motion by an ejector 30 which isreciprocable between the front and back of the fire house and isnormally urged toward the front of the fire house by a relativelypowerful pull spring 32 preferably located beneath bottom wall l2. Tointerconnect 55 spring 32 with ejector and to guide the movement of theejector, the wall i2 is longitudinally slotted at 34. Ejector 30 isformed of a piece of stiff sheet metal and includes a bottom plate 39which is bent downwardly to form a vertical web 88 passing through slot34. A depending lug 40, best shown in Fig. 5, receives one end of spring32. The lower part of the ejector is recessed upwardly at 42 (Fig. 5) tomate with an appropriate detent 44 having upwardly bent cars 46 pivotedon a rod 48 which extends transversely beneath the building and isanchored at its ends in the flanges 22 (Fig. 2). Detent 44 is normallymoved upwardly by a spring 58 coiled about rod 48 and having one end 52bearing against bottom wall l2 while the other end 54 bears against thedetent 44.

It will be manifest that it is merely necessary to push ejector 240rearwardly until detent 44 is reach-ed, in order to tension pull spring32 and to prepare the toy for operation. The vehicle is backed into thebuilding and is located directly in front of the upstanding ejector 30.To trip the mechanism it is merely necessary to depress detent 44whereupon the ejector forcibly propels the vehicle through the doorwayand out of the building, the doors meanwhile flying open, as indicatedin Fig. l.

The signal S is a siren comprising an apertured casing 56 (Fig. 5)closed by a cap 58 and secured to the rear wall l6 of the building. Thesiren is conventional and includes avaned rotor 60 mounted on a spindle82 carrying a pinion 64. The siren is rotated by depression of actuatorA which acts as a handle for a rack 68 which is connected through anappropriate stepup gear train to siren pinion 64. In the present casethe teeth of the rack mesh with a pinion 68 the shaft 10 of whichcarries a gear 12 adapted to mesh with siren pinion 64. In order toprovide free overrunning of the siren when the rack has completed itsdownward movement, the spindle 19 is carried in slots 14 which permitupward movement and disengagement of gear 12 from pinion 84,, as isclearly shown in Fig. 2. The gear is normally moved upwardly by a springwire 18 the fixed end of which is held by tongues 18 struck outwardly onone side of a gear housing which in turn is secured to the rear wall [6of the building. It will be understood that upon depression of the rack,the gear 12 is moved downwardly into engagement with pinion 64, therebyimparting a driving impulse to the siren, and, further, that uponcompletion of depression of the rack, the gear 12 is disengaged frompinion 64 and the siren overruns or continues to rotate, and deceleratesat its own natural speed. The actuator and rack 66 are preferablynormally moved to upward position by a pull spring 82 ten sioned betweena lug 84 formed on the gear frame 80 and an arm 86 formed on rack barActuator A not only drives the siren but also trips detent 44, therebyejecting the vehicle. For this purpose, the floor or bottom l2 of thebuilding is cut away at 88 (Figs. 3 and 4) beneath the rack 68, and thelatter is so dimensioned that its lower end 90 moves through opening 88when depressed to lowermost position, this being clearly indicated bythe broken line position 90' in-Fig. 2. In order to transfer themovement of the end 90 to detent 48, I employ an intermediate plate 92which is pivoted on rod 88 by upstanding cars 92. This plate is hardlynecessary with a toy having a single ejector and vehicle, but is used inthe present toy having two ejectors and vehicles because it serves anadditional function in insuring successive rather than simultaneousejec- 5 tion of the vehicles. Referring to Figs. 3, 4, and

5, plate 82 is provided with an arm 94 which overlies detent 44.Inasmuch as plate 92 extends beneath opening 88 and rack 66, it will beseen that upon the end of the downward movement 10 of the rack the plate92 is depressed, thereby releasing detent 44 and ejector 38.

When providing for two vehicles, as in the present toy, the building isdivided longitudinally preferably by the use of a partition or guide 1596 which not only separates the vehicles but helps guide the sameaccurately through the doorways. Each half of the building is providedwith ejector mechanism substantially as heretofore described for oneside of the build- 20 ing. Specifically, there is an ejector 30' movablein and guided by a slot 34 and normally urged forwardly by a tensionspring 32 but restrainable in rear position by a detent 44' pivoted onrod 48 and urged upwardly by spring 25 50'.

The second vehicle V may, of course, differ from vehicle V although bothare preferably fire fighting apparatus. In the present case vehicle V iscolored red and simulates a patrol 30 car or fire chiefs car, whilevehicle V is an emergency truck equipped with ladders and the like.

Detent 44' is also arranged to be tripped by an arm 94' extendingsidewardly from plate 92.

However, the arm 94' is shorter than the arm 94, and the parts are sodimensioned that when plate 92 overlies detent 44, as is clearly shownin Fig. 3, the arm 94' does not overlie detent 44'. Hence depression ofplate 92 trips detent 44 but not detent 44. Plate 92 is held in thepositionshown in Fig. 3 by a depending flange or cam surface I08 formedat the inner edge of a part I82 of ejector 30 underlying the bottom wallI2 of the building, as is best shown in Fig. 2. Plate 92 is normallyurged to the left, as viewed in Fig. 3, by a small compression springI04 coiled about rod 48 and located between the detent 44 and plate 92.This results in the plate 92 tending to assume the position shown inFig. 4 in which the arm 94' overlies detent 44'. However, when ejector30 is pushed rearwardly to set the same, the cam surface I00 bearsagainst the adjacent lug 93 of plate 92 and, because of the curvature ofcam surface I80, shifts plate 92 to the right or to the position shownin Fig. 3, and holds the plate in that position.

The operation will, it is believed, be understood from the foregoingdescription, because 60 upon first depression of the actuator, the sirenis driven and ejector 30 released, thus dischargirig one of the vehiclesand at the same time releasing plate 92 for movement over detent 44'.

A second movement of the actuator again drives 65 the siren and thistime releases ejector 30' which discharges the second vehicle.

It is believed that the construction and operation as well as the manyadvantages of my improved toy fire house, will be apparent from 7 theforegoing detailed description thereof. It will also be understood thatthe toy may be simplified to use a single vehicle or may be made morecomplex by the use of more than two vehicles. Furthermore, the actuatorneed not 75 be made in the form of a chimney, and the signal ornoise-making device may be a hell or other instrument differing fromthesiren here shown, although the siren is believed preferable becauseof its effectiveness and realism.

It will therefore be apparent that while I have shown and described myinvention in a preferred form, many changes and modifications may bemade in the structure disclosed, without departing from the spirit ofthe invention defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A toy comprising a simulated building, a toy vehicle therein,reciprocable ejection means urged from the back toward the front of thebuilding and adapted to eject the vehicle from the building, andreleasable detent means for normally holding the ejection means at theback of the building.

2. A toy comprising a simulated building, a motorless toy vehicletherein, means resiliently urged from the back toward the front of thebuilding and adapted to eject the vehicle from the building, doorsfreely pivoted on said building and adapted to be readily opened by thevehicle when ejected, detent means for holding the ejection means at theback of the building, and an actuator for releasing the detent means.

3. A toy fire house comprising a building simulating a fire house, amotorless toy fire fighting vehicle therein, means resiliently urgedfrom the back toward the front of the fire house and adapted to ejectthe vehicle from the fire house, doors freely pivoted on said fire houseand adapted to be readily opened by the vehicle when ejected, detentmeans for holding the ejection means at the back of the fire house, andan actuator for releasing the detent means.

4. A toy fire house comprising a simulated building, a toy vehicletherein, means urged from the back toward the front of the building andadapted to eject the vehicle from the building, detent means for holdingthe ejection means at the back of the building, a signal device, and asingle actuator for operating said signal device and for releasing thedetent means.

5. A toy comprising a simulated building, a motorless toy vehicletherein, means resiliently urged from the back toward the front of thebuilding and adapted to eject the vehicle from the building, doorsfreely pivoted on said building and adapted to be readily opened by thevehicle when ejected, detent means for holding the ejection means at theback of the building, a noise making device, and a single actuator foroperating said device and for releasing the detent means.

6. A toy fire house comprising a building simulating a fire house, amotorless toy fire fighting vehicle therein, means resiliently urgedfrom the back toward the front of the fire house and adapted to ejectthe vehicle from the fire house, doors freely pivoted on said fire houseand adapted to be readily opened by the vehicle when ejected, detentmeans for holding the ejection means at the back of the fire house, asignal device simulating the noise made by a fire fighting vehicle, anda single actuator for operating said signal device and for releasing thedetent means.

7. A toy comprising a simulated building, a toy vehicle therein, atensioned ejector spring mounted on said building and arranged to propelthe toy vehicle out of the building, detent means to prevent release ofthe spring, and an to eject the vehicle actuator connected to saidbuilding and arranged to trip the detent and thereby release the springfor propulsion of the vehicle from the building.

8. A toy fire house comprising a building simulating a fire house, a toyfire fighting vehicle therein, a siren mounted on said fire house, rackand gear mechanism for imparting high speed rotation to said siren, anda depressible chimney-simulating, actuator for operating said mechanismand for causing the vehicle to leave the fire house.

9. A toy comprising a simulated building, a siren mounted on saidbuilding, a reciprocable rack and step-up gear mechanism for drivingsaid siren, and a depressible chimney-simulating actuator at the top ofsaid building connected to said rack.

10. A toy comprising a simulated building, a toy vehicle therein, meansurged from the back toward the front of the fire house and adapted fromthe building, detent means for holding the ejection means at the back ofthe building, a depressible chimneysimulating actuator at the top ofsaid building and means whereby depression of said actuator releasessaid detent.

11. A toy fire house comprising a building simulating afire house, a toyfire fighting vehicle therein, means urged from the back toward thefront of the fire house and adapted to eject the vehicle from the firehouse, doors pivoted on said fire house and adapted to be opened by thevehicle when ejected, detent means for holding the ejection means at theback of the fire house, a signal mounted on said fire house, adepressible chimney-simulating actuator at the top of said houseconnected to said signal, and additional means whereby depression ofsaid actuator releases said detent.

12. A toy fire house comprising a building simulating a. fire house, amotorless toy fire fighting vehicle therein, means resiliently urgedfrom the back toward the front of the fire house and adapted to ejectthe vehicle from the fire house, doors freely pivoted on said fire houseand adapted to be readily opened by the vehicle when ejected, detentmeans for holding the ejection means at the back of the fire house, asiren mounted on said fire house, a reciprocal rack and step-up gearmechanism for driving said siren, and additional means whereby movementof said rack releases said detent.

13. A toy comprising a simulated building, a plurality of motorless toyvehicles therein, a plurality of means resiliently urged from the backtoward the front of the fire house and each adapted to eject one of thevehicles from the building, a plurality of doors freely pivoted on saidbuilding and adapted to be readily opened by the vehicles when ejected,detent means for holding the ejection means at the back of the building,and actuator means for releasing said detent means.

14. A toy comprising a simulated building, a plurality of toy vehiclestherein, a plurality of means each adapted to cause one of the vehiclesto leave the building, and a single actuator means for successivelyactuating said means.

15. A toy comprising a simulated building, a I

plurality of motorless toy vehicles therein, a plurality of meansresiliently urged from the back toward the front of the fire house andeach adapted to eject one of the vehicles from the building, detentmeans for holding the ejection means at the back of the building, and asingle actuator means for successively releasing said detent means.

16. A toy fire house comprising a building simulating a fire house, aplurality of motorless toy fire fighting vehicles therein, a pluralityof means resiliently urged from the back toward the front of the firehouseand each adapted to eject one of the vehicles from the fire house,a plurality of doors freely pivoted on said fire house and adapted to bereadily opened by the vehicles when ejected, detent means for holdingthe ejection means at the back of the fire house, signal means, and asingle actuator means for operating said signal means and forsuccessively releasing said detent means.

1'7. A toy comprising a simulated building, a plurality of toy vehiclestherein, a plurality of means for causing the vehicles to leave thebuilding, a single actuator, and means whereby repeated movement of saidactuator successively operates said means. one vehicle leaving thebuilding for each complete movement of the actuator.

18. A toy fire house comprising a building simulating a fire house, aplurality of toy fire fighting vehicles therein, a plurality of meansurged from the back toward the front of the fire house and each adaptedto eject one of the vehicles from the fire house, detent means forholding the ejection means at the back of the fire house, a singleactuator, and means whereby repeated movement of said actuatorsuccessively releases the detent means, one vehicle being ejected foreach complete movement of the actuator.

19. A toy fire house comprising a building simulating a fire house, aplurality of motorless toy fire fighting vehicles therein, a pluralityof means resiliently urged from the back toward the front of the firehouse and each adapted to eject one. ofthe vehicles from the fire house,a plurality of doors freely pivoted on said fire house and adapted to bereadily opened by the vehicles when ejected, detent means for holdingthe ejection means at the back of the fire house, a single actuator, andmeans whereby repeated movement of said actuator successively releasesthe detent means, one vehicle being ejected for each complete movementof the actuator.

20, A toy comprising a simulated building, a plurality of toy vehiclestherein, a plurality of means for causing the vehicles to leave thebuilding, a signal on said building, an actuator connected to saidsignal, and means whereby repeated depression of the actuatorsuccessively operates said means, one vehicle being released for eachdepression of the actuator.

21'. A toy fire house comprising a building simulating a fire house, aplurality of toy fire fighting vehicles therein, a plurality of meansfor causing the vehicles to leave the fire house, a siren on said house,a reciprocable rack and step-up gearing for rotating said siren, adepressible chimney-simulating actuator at the top of said houseconnected to said rack, and means whereby repeated depression of theactuator successively operates said means, one vehicle being releasedfor each depression of the actuator.

22. A toy comprising a simulated building, a

plurality of toy vehicles therein, a plurality of means resilientlyurged from the back toward the front of the building and each adapted toeject one of the vehicles from the building, detent means for holdingthe ejection means at the back of the building, a signal on saidbuilding, an actuator connected to said signal, and means wherebyrepeated depression of the actuator successively releases the detentmeans, one vehicle being ejected for each depression of the actuator.

23. A toy fire house comprising a building simulating a fire house, aplurality of motorless toy fire fighting vehicles therein, a pluralityof means resiliently urged from the back toward the front of the firehouse and each adapted to elect one of the vehicles from the fire house,detent means for holding the ejection means at the back of the firehouse, a siren on said house,

a reciprocable rack and step-up gearing for 20 rotating said siren, andmeans whereby repeated depression of the rack successively releases thedetent means, one vehicle being ejected for each depression of the rack.

24. A toy fire house comprising a building 25 simulating a fire house, aplurality of motorless toy fire fighting vehicles therein, a pluralityof means resiliently urged from the back toward the front of the firehouse and each adapted to eject one of the vehicles from the fire house,a

plurality of doors freely pivoted on said fire house and adapted to bereadily opened by the vehicles when ejected, detent means for holdingthe ejection means at the back of the fire house, a siren on said house,a reciprocable rack and step-up gearing for rotating said siren, adepressible chimney-simulating actuator at the top of said houseconnected to said rack, and means whereby repeated depression of theactuator successively releases the detent means, one vehicle beingejected for each depression of the actuator.

25. A toy comprising a building, a motorless toy vehicle therein, meansresiliently urged from the back toward the front of the building andadapted to eject the. vehicle therefrom, detent means for holding theejection means at the back of the building, a signal on said building, adepressible actuator for operating said signal, and means whereby onlyrepeated depression of the actuator releases the detent means and ejectsthe vehicle.

26. A toy fire house comprising a building simulating a fire house, amotorless toy fire fighting vehicle therein, means resiliently urgedfrom the back toward the front of the fire house and adapted to ejectthe vehicle from the fire house, a plurality of doors freely pivoted onsaid fire house and adapted to be readily opened by the vehicle whenejected, detent means for holding the ejection means at the back of thefire house, a siren on said house, a reciprocable rack and step-upgearing for rotating said siren, a depressible actuator connected tosaid rack, whereby depression of the actuator operates the siren, andmeans whereby only repeated depression of the actuator releases thedetent means in order to eject the vehicle.

LOUIS MARX.

